Going back to Cali

After weeks of being up in the air, I finally found out that I'd be heading back to San Diego on business. I immediately contacted the alt.surfing crew out there, with the hopes of hooking up if time permitted.

Got in on Monday in the late afternoon, and after the typical rental car and hotel room fiascos, I finally broke free and headed straight to Windansea.

No sooner after I park, in rolls Tom Keener (aka Santa Claus) on a street-legal dirt bike. Surfing (in his case, bodysurfing) *must* be the fountain of youth!

After catching up a little with each other's lives, we were greeted by MIA a.s.'er Tom Tweed. I was so stoked that these guys took the time to drop by. Truly a pleasure talking with the boys about the latest happs, badmouthing everyone on the newsgroup, and assessing the latest swell.

It quickly got dark (close to 8 PM)--I had to excuse myself so I could partake in some of the action in the water. Tom wasn't water ready, and Tom Keener was visiting on his dinner break, so we said goodbye and I jumped in.

The water was a bit chilly (61 degrees), but was a nonfactor with my fullsuit. The crowd was thinning, so I was able to steal a few set waves. Typical wave setup: drawn-out bottom turn right, wave backs off, then starts racing and pitching a little when it hits the inside reef, finally shutting on the inside.

Thankfully, one of the condos has a floodlight that helps illuminate the lineup, allowing a session well into the night. It was really nice being in such a familiar lineup (in and out of the water) so far away from home. Hope the rest of my stay will pan out.

Aloha from La Jolla,